Ex-Murrieta Valley hoops star now a freshman at Johns Hopkins, one of nation’s top universities

Balancing academics and sports is a challenging juggling act for any college athlete, but it’s especially difficult for Johns Hopkins University freshman guard Katie Clark.

That’s because Clark’s institution is one of the nation’s elite universities, rated 13th in the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report.

Murrieta Valley High’s 2012 valedictorian discovered during her first semester that the curriculum at Johns Hopkins is definitely a notch above her previous experience.

“My classes have been challenging but not impossible, which has been a good next step in terms of challenging myself academically,” Clark said.

Clark, a public health major, fared well with a 3.8 grade-point average, which she was content with, given the strenuous coursework.

Clark also is taking prerequisite courses for medical school, and she aspires to be a physician.

Medical school, though, is still years away, as she is just a few months into her women’s basketball career.

Clark amazingly was on the court for the start of the Blue Jays’ season on Nov. 15 after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in her left knee in a state playoff game last March.

“I still feel like my knee is still getting stronger,” Clark said. “I don’t feel like I’m fully back to where I was before the injury, but definitely getting close.”

Clark has come off the bench in all 16 games for the Division III Jays this year, averaging 10.1 minutes per game.

It’s common to see Clark shoot from long distance when she enters a game. She ranks third on the team in 3-pointers.

She recently enjoyed her best game as a collegian, tying for the team high with eight points in Johns Hopkins’ 71-50 loss to Messiah College on Jan. 2.

Ten of the 15 players on the Jays’ roster are either freshmen or sophomores, so the team had some growing pains. But it has since strung together three straight Centennial Conference wins to improve to 5-5 in the conference and 7-8 overall.

The 2011-12 Southwestern League MVP says the most glaring transition from high school has been adapting to head coach Nancy Funk’s style of play on the defensive end of the court.

“(It’s) aggressive man-to-man defense (here),” Clark said. “My high school team played a lot of zone.”

With her university located in Baltimore, Clark has enjoyed some of the benefits of living in a major city, attending Ravens and Orioles games during her free time this fall.

“I have never seen such loyal fans,” Clark said of the Ravens faithful.

And she says the city’s renowned crab cakes and seafood live up to the reputation.

With her winter occupied, Clark’s focus is on helping the Blue Jays return to the Division III tournament for the third consecutive year.

“These past few games, we have definitely been picking it up, and we’re excited to see what the rest of conference has to hold,” Clark said.

FOOTBALL

• Southern Methodist University defensive tackle Aaron Davis (Elsinore) is getting serious consideration as a professional prospect, as he is set to play in Saturday’s NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Home Depot Center in Carson. Davis will be coached by former Super Bowl champion coach Dick Vermeil in an all-star game that features some of the nation’s most outstanding seniors. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound senior had 35 tackles (four for losses) in 13 games for the Mustangs in 2012. The game kicks off at 2 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN2.